. Hajar Pasha; . Mahbobeh Faramarzi; . Zahra Basirat; . Farzan Kheirkhah; . Hajar Adib-Rad
Volume 11, Issue 4 , May 2021, , Pages 1-7
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Infertility is one of the main concerns in women’s lives that may lead to psychologicalimbalance and disrupt their sexual relationship. The study was conducted with ...
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BACKGROUND: Infertility is one of the main concerns in women’s lives that may lead to psychologicalimbalance and disrupt their sexual relationship. The study was conducted with the aim of evaluatingrole of mental health in prediction of sexual function in infertile women.MATERIALS AND METHODS: This analytic‑descriptive study was conducted in 2015–2016 in424 infertile women referring to Fatemeh Zahraa Infertility and Reproductive Health Center, Babol,Iran. The participants filled out the Female Sexual Function Index (α = 0.72–0.90), General HealthQuestionnaire (GHQ‑28, α = 0.86), and demographics questionnaires. Linear regression used toanalyze the data.RESULTS: The mean of total GHQ was 23.57 ± 12.06. The highest mean of GHQ subscales wassocial dysfunction (8.68 ± 3.69). There was a negative association between GHQ with the overallsexual function of infertile women (r = −0.397, P < 0.0001). The higher mental health disorder wasassociated with lower sexual function. Furthermore, there was an inverse significant associationbetween all the subscales of mental health and sexual function. Based on the multiple linear regressionanalysis, the variables of anxiety and sleep disorder (β = −0.143, P < 0.035), social dysfunction(β= −0.139, P < 0.003), depression symptoms (β = −0.121, P < 0.046), sexual intercourse frequency(β = 0.272, P < 0.0001), and educational level (β = −0.110, P < 0.016) were the significant predictorsof perceived sexual dysfunction after adjusting for other variables. The strongest predictor of theGHQ subscale was anxiety and sleep disorder.CONCLUSIONS: Undesirable conditions of mental health and its adverse effects on sexual functionand also other predictors emphasize the need to develop more effective screening and supportivestrategies with the help of the psychologists.